Driveway Paving

Yes, if they are laid properly. The slabs on this page are the same 20mm to 22mm thickness as the patio ranges, so they rely on the bed beneath them rather than their own thickness. Laid on a full mortar bed over a deep, compacted sub-base, they will take a car. Laid on spots of mortar or a thin base, they will crack. They laying method matters more than the slab.

Slabs of 20mm to 22mm will take cars when laid on a full mortar bed over at least 150mm of compacted MOT Type 1. A thicker slab of 30mm or more gives extra margin for vans and heavier vehicles, and block paving for driveways is normally 50mm to 60mm thick. Mick George stocks driveway slabs in the 20mm to 22mm range, so the base and bed are what give the drive its strength.

Gravel is the cheapest surface for a driveway. It costs a fraction of slabs or blocks per square metre and is quick to lay over a membrane and a Type 1 base. Among solid surfaces, concrete block paving and sandstone slabs are the lowest priced. The base is the same whatever you lay on top, so most of the saving comes from the surface material and the laying time.

Expect to pay between £50 and £130 per square metre for a slab driveway, including excavation, sub-base, slabs and laying. Materials make up roughly a third of that. A single-car driveway of around 25m² therefore costs several thousand pounds once labour is included. The main things that move the price are the stone chosen, the depth of digging out needed and the cost of removing the old surface.

You can pave a front garden without planning permission if the surface is permeable or the rainwater drains to a lawn, border or soakaway within your boundary. If the new surface is larger than five square metres and drains onto the road, you need planning permission. Dropping the kerb needs separate council approval. These rules apply in England, so check with your council if you are elsewhere in the UK.

A surface that lets rain soak through into the ground instead of running off. Gravel, permeable block paving with wide joints filled with grit, and porous resin all count. Slabs laid on mortar with sealed joints do not. You can still use solid paving without permission if you direct the water to a lawn or planted area, a soakaway, or a drainage channel that feeds into one.

Choose gravel for the lowest cost and easiest laying, block paving for the hardest-wearing solid surface, and slabs for a patio-style look that runs through to the garden. Gravel needs topping up and migrates onto the road. Blocks suit heavy use and are easy to lift and relay. Slabs need the most careful laying, as each one has to be fully bedded. Many drives combine a gravel surface with a slab or cobble edge.

They can be, but smaller formats are safer. A 600×600 slab has a lot of surface for a car wheel to load off-centre, so any void in the bed will crack it. Slabs of 600×300 or 450×450 spread the load over more joints and are easier to bed fully. If you want the look of a large slab, lay it on a full mortar bed with a slurry primer and keep vehicles off it until the mortar has fully cured.